AFL 2023: Melbourne’s line-in-the-sand moment over Clayton Oliver

Could Melbourne really part ways with one of its highest-paid players? The Demons could be finally ready to rip the Band-Aid off their Clayton Oliver issue, writes Jay Clark.

Clayton Oliver celebrates a goal. Picture: Michael Klein

The reality has sunk in for Melbourne and superstar onballer Clayton Oliver.

As brilliant as the midfielder has been over his first eight seasons, Oliver is not an indispensable commodity to the red and blue.

The suggestion on Tuesday that he could be traded over the next fortnight sent shockwaves through the AFL industry.

Surely, Melbourne fans all groaned, the club wouldn’t boot out one of the best five players in the competition? A four-time best-and-fairest winner.

One of Melbourne’s greatest ever players and he has only reached the halfway point of his career.

But here is the brutal truth facing the club and its sublime onballer.

In the 10 games without him this season between rounds 11 and 21, Melbourne still won seven of them.

And while the Demons will say publicly they do not want to trade him, their ears will be most certainly open when clubs start to meet next week if this hasn’t been ironed out across the weekend.

It is Melbourne’s Dusty moment. A similar point in time to when the Tigers paused on a new deal for Dustin Martin when he went up to the GWS Giants for a look around in 2013.

Perhaps this line-in-the-sand moment will be something of an awakening for Oliver. Jesse Hogan switched clubs twice before the penny dropped for the key forward.

Rival clubs will ask Melbourne about a deal for Clayton Oliver. Picture: Michael Klein

Melbourne seems to be taking a hard stance on its playing ranks as it strives to overcome the disappointment of straight sets finals exit over the past two seasons, and achieve its premiership potential.

The sweet spot is now, but the club is at risk of wasting it. Jake Lever said it himself amid the devastation in the rooms after the semi-final loss to Carlton.

The Dees have blown it two years in a row playing a style which stacks up. Contest and defence. Tick tick.

But Oliver has been inconsistent with his attitude at times, and the club has decided not to look the other way. It needs him all-in on the standards which drive the club.

He is, after all, one of its top-two highest-paid players, along with Christian Petracca.

The smoke and mirrors around Oliver’s off-field lifestyle are hard to decipher, and the Demons won’t talk about it. They are not returning calls.

Over the past 48 hours they have told other clubs they do not want to trade him.

But what if the Saints or the Bombers or the Cats put a couple of first-round draft picks on the table and a tall who needs some opportunity?

The food for thought is, at least behind the scenes, real to a point.

Melbourne may not rule out a trade, but this fire that is burning at the moment could be a good thing in the long-term.

A blow-up between Clayton Oliver and a Demons trainer was an insight into the midfielder’s issues.

Melbourne is ripping the Band-Aid off its Oliver issue.

It is no secret there are some significant improvements he can make in his professionalism and commitment to the game.

His manager, Nick Gieschen, was there from the start of the journey when Oliver once had McDonald’s for breakfast before the last game he played before he was drafted.

The deal he signed in June last year was one of the biggest in the game’s history. But Oliver needs to live up to his end of the bargain now.

And while he has been an excellent teammate at times, and has played some incredible football, there is a gap between his best and worst.

It’s also been reported Oliver turned up an hour late to his exit meeting with the Demons in the aftermath of the semi-final loss to Carlton and had to attend a separate meeting with coach Simon Goodwin instead of a group review.

It’s also been reported Oliver turned up an hour late to his exit meeting with the Demons in the aftermath of the semi-final loss to Carlton and had to attend a separate meeting with coach Simon Goodwin instead of a group review.

Some of the behaviour and body language around the hamstring strain, and the fitness test where he blew up at the fitness boss earlier this year, was only a small insight.

The grumblings have become a full-blown growl off the field.

Melbourne has nurtured Oliver behind the scenes. They have helped him, developed him, supported him to reach the pinnacle of the game, together, winning the 2021 premiership.

There was a selflessness about the Demons’ midfield in the back half of 2021.

It was the best of Oliver, and on the back of the flag the club signed him to a seven-year deal worth up to $1.3 million a year following the Total Player Payment increases.

Huge investment. Superstar player. Happy marriage, or so it seemed.

The ultimate upshot now is that the player and club are at odds, to some degree. Not only Oliver and the coaches and staff, but also Oliver and his peers. The other players. The leaders.

Most importantly, the Demons need him to commit to a lifestyle and a professionalism that will not only help keep him on track, but support the club’s mission to have more success.

That is everyone rowing the boat, regardless of who you are.

The club has told him that many, many times.

And since the flag, they have underachieved as a unit.

Could a Clayton Oliver trade work for both the player and Melbourne? Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

For these next few days, Melbourne and Oliver will take some time to assess the lay of the land.

What does Oliver want to do? Are other clubs genuinely keen? Can a deal even be done?

Rivals would need a spare million dollars in the salary cap and a couple of first-round choices.

And for now, the Demons are telling rivals there is no trade. Not officially, anyway.

But it won’t stop them picking up the phone over the next week and double checking.

The ball is really in Oliver’s court.

Melbourne will keep him if he is ready to make some changes and commit to the standards they require to capitalise on their premiership aspirations.

But the club has shown before, when it traded Hogan, that it is happy to make a hard call.

A trade would still be a huge gamble, and a massive risk if he kicks on elsewhere.

Rarely do top-five players in the competition get dangled like a carrot.

But this is a game of tiny margins. They lost two big finals by a whisker.

The execution was off.

Maybe the midfield cohesion and synergy had suffered at times this season. Shrewd observers said their play had become more selfish, more one-dimensional.

Melbourne missed targets and skewed shots when it mattered.

And now the club looks fully prepared to make a hard call or two.

There is upside in Oliver committing to the professional standards the club requires, and it can help elevate him over the remainder of his career to a new level.

But the choice is his to make.

Contract or not, the club has made it clear.

Collingwood has shown offloading Brodie Grundy, Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson – albeit in different circumstances – these tough calls can work.